Waiting

Fred saw the surgeon and we are waiting for the big day to arrive. Despite the surgeon's reassuring words and confident demeanor, the future looks scary. I won't allow myself any thoughts of "what ifs." This doctor told us what would take place, the probable recovery, and when Fred can likely return to work and normalcy. We will stand on that. Not that we trust in this man, but we trust in God and the circumstances he directed that led us to this doctor at this particular time and place. I look for the day we can put all this behind us. But there are lessons in the journey getting from here to there.

After Fred's appointment, the weekend came and we didn't talk about surgery. The weather was delightful and we enjoyed the colors of the turning leaves, the blooming mums and freshly picked apples. This is my favorite time of year. On Sunday Marissa came with us to church and afterwards we went to our local fabric store. All the girls had their hearts set on making purses that day.

After lunch they set to work. Arielle and Liana have good sewing skills and don't need much help. But the pattern and directions for these purses were difficult and the girls needed my help interpreting them. To make things worse, we were altering the pattern and I needed to figure out how to best do that. By the time Purse Number 3 was coming together, I had it down. Marissa had a little bit of trouble too. She's had very little sewing experience, but the seam ripper was soon her best friend.

Unbelievably, we spent seven hours on this project. Here are the girls proudly displaying their creations.

Nothing much was accomplished this day. Or so it seemed. Except when I think back, I see all of us working together, focusing on our task, solving problems, and laughing at our mistakes. At the end, each girl had a new purse, but that was the least of it. We made memories. And we didn't think about surgery. There is enough time for that.